Alan's Blog

The blog by Alan O’Neill is meant to be helpful, valuable, interesting and educational in nature. Always check with a licensed plumber or air conditioning and heating contractor such as Abacus Plumbing & Air Conditioning in Houston prior to any work on your home.

Austin Chronicle’s Wish List

It’s that time of year when we start looking for THE perfect present for everyone on our Holiday Lists. But, finding that perfect gift is really hard sometimes. The Austin Chronicle has just published their Wish list, so making.a donation for that special someone can solve the problem -giving to a charity for the gift-giving […]

Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning

Everyone wants a clean, safe, comfortable home.  But, when you’re breathing in all sorts of dust, pollen, and other pollutants, you’re putting your health at risk. When contaminants such as dirt, debris, and other unhealthy particles accumulate on the sheet metal inside your air ducts and on other components of heating and air conditioning systems. […]

FOX7 News Discussion: Preparing your Austin, TX Home for the Winter

This article originally appeared on the FOX7 News website. Read the article here » AUSTIN, Texas – With winter fast approaching, people across the country and right here in Central Texas are bracing for a major increase in the cost of heating their home. Tim Jordan from Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical joins FOX7’s John Krinjak to talk […]

Austin, We Need To Winterize

Winterizing a Home in Texas As winter approaches your hill country homes, we’re beginning to consider our experiences of last winter. The “snowpocalypse”: of February 2021 is still affecting us months later. Some of us are paying off plumbing repair bills, while others are researching alternative heating sources. And nearly everyone is wondering how do […]

Things You Shouldn’t Flush

Stop! That Won’t Flush It’s happened to all of us. We’re in a rush and we just flush. Or we turn our back to a toddler for just a minute and find them flushing the toilet.  The next thing we know, we have a clog.  First we think, “What caused that clog?” Then, “how much […]

8 Design Trends From the Milan Furniture Fair

Over time, our Austin homes need an upgrade. Sometimes it’s because something breaks, like a lamp, or the electrical wiring is old, or sometimes, the floor plan no longer works and you need another bathroom. Some of our plans for the future of our homes require some long term planning. Tha’’s where our contractors and […]

Abacus Athlete of the Week: McCallum High School’s EZ Guenther

Congrats to EZ Guenther! Welcome back to Friday Football Fever. It’s time for one of my favorite segments we do to talk about our Abacus Athlete of the Week. This is a player who does a job on the field, off the field and in the community, and this week we’d like to honor McCallum […]

Are Tankless Water Heaters Worth The Investment?

Most homeowners don’t think about their water heater. That is until it’s leaking or broken. Your water heater is probably the most neglected appliance in your home. It isn’t designed to last very long, either. Traditional hot water heaters are designed to provide gallons of hot water at one time:  When it’s not actively heating […]